Newcastle complete West Ham coup with first-teamer put on notice, but agreed Arsenal deal will derail huge Chelsea raid
Newcastle have completed a £3m deal to sign West Ham’s Harrison Ashby with a long-term succession plan now in place, but a higher profile move involving Chelsea is likely to fail after Arsenal struck first, per reports.
The Magpies were known to be seeking a long-term successor to Kieran Trippier at right-back this month. Trippier has been nothing short of sensational since arriving from Atletico Madrid. However, now aged 32, Eddie Howe and co. must have one eye on the future.
Leeds United’s Cody Drameh and Ivan Fresneda of Real Valladolid were both linked. However, those moves have been resigned to the transfer scrapheap after Newcastle completed a deal to sign Harrison Ashby from West Ham.
The £3m capture was confirmed by Newcastle’s official website. West Ham did not want to sell the 21-year-old, though their hand was forced after Ashby refused to pen fresh terms. His contract in the capital would’ve expired in the summer.
Reacting to the coup, Magpies boss Eddie Howe said: “Harrison is a very talented young player with a lot of potential so we are delighted to sign him.
“He has very good attributes so we are looking forward to working with him in this exciting new chapter of his career.”
Ashby, who has signed a ‘long-term contract’, added: “I could not be happier. I can’t get the smile off my face and it’s a proud day for me and my family.
“I’m buzzing to come to the game tonight, to meet the fans and to get a taste of the atmosphere.
“I wouldn’t be here today without West Ham, so I thank all the coaches that I had from growing up to now, but I’m delighted to be here.”
But while Ashby is signed, sealed and delivered, a deadline day move for Conor Gallagher now appears destined to fail.
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Arsenal agreement torpedoes Newcastle move for Gallagher
The Telegraph reported Newcastle would launch a ‘final enquiry’ into signing the Chelsea midfielder today.
The move always looked difficult to make given Chelsea were reportedly ready to quote Newcastle a higher fee (£50m+) than they’re quoted to others (£35m-£45m).
That was in large part due to Newcastle’s rapid rise and the fact Chelsea now consider them a direct rival for Champions League qualification.
In any case, any last-ditch Newcastle bid is likely to fail given Arsenal have now struck an agreement to sign Jorginho. It’s highly unlikely Chelsea will let both players leave, especially with their £105m Enzo Fernandez bid not yet being accepted by Benfica.
Jorginho is poised to move to the Emirates for a £12m fee – a fine return for Chelsea given he’s 31 and out of contract in six months anyway.
The Italy international will sign an 18-month deal with a club option for an extra year. Fabrizio Romano gave the move his signature ‘here we go’ confirmation on Twitter.
READ MORE: Jorginho to Arsenal ‘advancing’ as Fabrizio Romano reveals exact fee Chelsea are demanding amid big Moises Caicedo developments
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